India to posibly manufacture Husqvarna

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The parent company of Husqvarna, BMW Motorrad, is reportedly considering moving its manufacturing operations to India

Is India the new Japan? More and more motorcycle (and car) companies are opening manufacturing plants in India to keep costs down and increase output -- and the latest company considering a move to the sub-continent is Husqvarna.

A report filed by the German edition of the Financial Times reveals that Husqvarna's owner, BMW, is considering moving production of the Italo-Swedish motorcycle brand to India.

While the move is only a consideration at this stage, BMW Motorrad head honcho Hendrik von Kuenheim will make the final call. But it is looking likely to be a case of when, rather than if.

There are already several companies manufacturing motorcycles in India that are sold in Europe, such as KTM and Honda, and Husqvarna has obviously done its financial calculations and is now eyeing off the Indian market.

As well as selling Indian-built products globally, if Husqvarna partnered with an established Indian brand (as KTM does with Bajaj for the small capacity Duke models) it would be exposed to a massive number of bike buyers. However because Indian riders prefer small capacity motorcycles there is potential for a compact street bike from the Euro brand - perhaps a Nuda 250.

Global sales of the Swedish brand were down in 2011 compared to the year before as the company suffered the same fortunes as many of its competitors in what has been a difficult period for motorcycle sales. Therefore BMW will be keen to reduce costs where it can, and a move of manufacturing to India wouldn't hurt.

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Published : Friday, 17 February 2012
 
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